It was set up when a Chargers' drive stalled out near midfield just before the two-minute warning, with a conservative - and time consuming - running play called on a third-and-long.

"It was the right call," Rivers said, fetching a box lunch from a rack outside the Chargers' locker room and grabbing a bottle of water from a cooler as he walked toward a waiting bus.

But wrong result. Locker moved Tennessee 94 yards in 10 plays, hitting Justin Hunter on a touchdown pass for the 20-17 win. Rivers was left with 15 seconds to go 80 yards. Maybe the second-worst spot a quarterback wants to be in.

The game ended in near-comedy, a variety of laterals and long backward passes trying to find some miraculous way to get up field. The only thing missing was the Stanford band. The ball was somehow returned to Rivers twice after his initial pass; he ended up merely kicking the ball away to put an end to the misery.

Rivers, the Decatur native and former Athens High quarterback, was last week's AFC Offensive Player of the Week after a prolific game against Pittsburgh, going 36-for-47 and throwing for 416 yards. This time around, he was a near-perfect 20-for-24 for 184 yards, connecting with Antonio Gates for a touchdown pass.

But in a game that grew a bit conservative, he threw only nine passes in the second half. He blamed that on the Chargers' inability to convert on third down - just 3-for-9 - that minimized possession time.

"I don't feel like we eased up by any means," he said. "I feel like the way we attacked them was right."

Rivers had a second touchdown pass that was called back because of offensive pass interference. Indeed, back judge Greg Wilson was nearly as busy as Rivers and Locker. There were four pass-related fouls in the secondary and at least twice that many borderline calls that may have fit under past parameters of pass interference.

One of the most competitive people you'd ever want to meet - table tennis games against Gates are legendary - Rivers let his emotions get the best of him after the play. He earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

"Nothing I can't repeat," he said when asked what he said to the refs. "I don't know. I think it was more of the hand wave-off. But I didn't say one thing that was out of line. Again, that's no excuse. I'm certainly not proud of getting a penalty."

It brings to mind an old quotation I dusted off earlier this week in a story on Rivers, from a conversation we had about his TV "image" and expressive actions on the sidelines that draw the cameras to him. When he has jawed with other players or referees, he says nothing "I'd be ashamed of if my mom heard me or (wife) Tiffany heard me."

Once sitting comfortably at first and goal from the 5, the series ended with the Chargers kicking a field goal with the ball on the 26.

"I've not seen the replay," Rivers said. "I'm not sure if it was the right call or not. Obviously that's what I was so upset about. It was a big play. It was a big play in the game. It was a touchdown and it gets called back."

Rivers, who was able to visit with his dad, Steve, early Sunday morning said, "It's been six or seven (wins over the Titans; six for him) in a row. The last few times it ended good here. This is the first one that ended bad."

Mark McCarter writes columns on news and sports for Alabama Media Group and The Huntsville Times. Contact him at mmccarter@al.com